Washing machine



April 1936. A. A. EMMERLING El AL 2,037,568

WASHING MACHINE Filed Sept. 27, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I.

Inventors: Anson A. Emmerling,

Nathan EBertolet,

Th ei r Attorney.

p i 1936- A. A. EMMERLING ET AL 2,037,568

WASHING MACHINE Fi led Sept. 27,. 1954 5 Sheets-Shet 2 Fig. 5.

lnvehtorsi Anson AErnmerl Eng, Nathan E.Ber*tolet,

by QML Their Attorney.

April 1 A. A. EMMERLING El AL 7, 68

WASHING MACHINE 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 27,

Inventors Anson AEmmerlincg; Nathan E .Bertolet, ,b 77 53 T r 1 :1 Attorney.

Patented Apr. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WASHING MACHINE Anson A. Emmerling, Schenectady, and Nathan E. Bertolet, Scotia, N. Y., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application. September 27, 1934, SerialNo. 745,736

15 Claims.

washing machine of this type, andfor a consideration of what we believe to be novel and our invention, attention is directed to the accom- 10 panying description and the claims appended thereto,

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a washing machine embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the bottom wall of the container, for clothes or the like; Fig. 3 illustrates schematically the flow in a vertical plane of the cleaning fluid between the tub and container and the flow within the container; Fig. 4 illustrates schematically the motion in a horizontal plane of theflow of cleaning fluid within the container; Fig. 5 is a development in elevation of Fig. 4 illustrating the cooperation betweenthe streams of cleaning fluid entering the container through the openings in its bottom wall; Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, of a modification of my invention; and Fig. '7 is a plan view showing the bottom wall of the container shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, the outer container for the washing machine illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, comprises a tub I having-a detachable cover 2 and a depending skirt 3 which supports the machine. The cover is provided with a knob 4 for convenience in handling and with spring 35 clips 5 which cooperate with a ridge 6 formed near the upper end of the tub and firmly attach the cover to the tub. As the machine is designed for use as either a washing machine or dry cleaning machine, the tub is constructed from a suitable material resistant to the action of the cleaning fluid which may be soapy water or a dry cleaning fluid. The clothes or other articles to be cleaned are carried within a container 1 which is open at the top and has the side walls 8 and bottom walls 9 spaced from the tub. The side walls 8 are provided with openings or perforations ill at the lower part and an annular member ll is disposed across the corner between the side and bottom walls of the container and has openings l2 therein through which the cleaning fluid may flow. The member I l provides a gradual change of contour from the side to the bottom' walls of the tub and prevents sticking of the clothes against the side walls and in the corner between the side. and bottom walls of the container during the operation of the machine. The bottom wall of the container has a series of central openings l3 which are grouped around the center of the container. The flow of fluid through the central openings is controlled by flap valves M on the upper side of these openings. The flap valves I 4 comprise a ring [5 of flexible material secured at its outer periphery to the bottom of the container by a metal ring it and having free ends 'IGa extending inwardly in a clockwise direction to cover the openings l3. With this type of flexible valve, the fluid is forced tangentially upward in a clockwise direction through the openings l3 when the container I is moved down- ,ward toward the bottom of the tub and reverse flow through the openings I3 is prevented when the container is moved upward away from the bottom of the tub. The flow of fluid through the circumferentially spaced openings l0 and I2 is controlled by a flexible cup I! which is secured to the lower end of the container 1. When the container is moved toward the bottom of thetub, the flexible cup I! is expanded against the sides of the tub and upward flow through the openings l0 and I2 is prevented. When the containeris moved away from the bottom of the tub, the flexible cup I! moves inwardly and permits'downward flow of fluid from the openings l0 and I2 to the bottom of the tub.

, In order to reciprocate the clothes container 1 vertically within the tub. I, we provide an electric motor l8 supported from the bottom wall of the tub I and having a worm gear [9 on its shaft which drives a counter shaft 20, journaled in brackets 2! attached to the bottom wall of the tub, through a worm wheel 22. The counter shaft 20 carries a crank 23 and a connecting rod 24,,which' reciprocate a shaft 25 connected to the bottom wall of the container 1. The shaft-25 is slidably journaled in a bearing 26 suitably attached to the bottom wall of the tub, and this bearing is rendered liquid tight by a flexible diaphragm seal 21, the inner and outer edges of which are clamped to the shaft 25 and the bottom wall of the tub, respectively. The reciprocating movementof the container relative to the tub is preferably small and may be of the order of one inch, and the number of reciprocations per minute is large and may be 250 per minute. These values depend on the size of the tub. With rapid reciprocations of small magnitude, there is no substantial lifting of the clothes which are held suspended in the liquid and the only power required is for forcing the liquid upward into the container. There is also little tendency for the clothes to stick against the sides of the tub. We find that improved cleaning action is obtained due to the eroding action of the streams of water from the openings l3 and to the induced circulation of fluid within the container. Also, the fluid is aerated by the action of the machine and this may improve the cleaning action.

Since the machine may be used as a dry cleaning machine it is desirable to provide means for filtering the dry cleaning fluid. If this is not done, the effectiveness of the dry cleaning fluid as a solvent may become considerably diminished after the fluid has been used several times, and the efliciency of the machine consequently reduced. For this purpose we provide a filter 28. This fllter may be of any known type suitable for the purpose, and as its details form no part of the present invention, they are not described here. The dry cleaning fluid is conducted to this filter through an opening 29 in the bottom wall of the tub I and through a pipe 30. The flow of cleaning fluid into the pipe 30 is controlled by a spring pressed valve 3| which is mounted within an enlarged casing 33 secured to the bottom wall of the tub. The valve is held closed by the spring during upward movement of the container and is opened by the pressure of the fluid during downward movement of the container. Between the casing 33 and the filter 28 is an air dome 34 which communicates with the pipe 30 and serves, when the air is compressed by the entering cleaning fluid, to exert suiflcient pressure on the fluid during the upward movement of the container to force the cleaningfluid through the filter 28, a pipe 35 and an outlet valve 36 into the tub. The valve 36 is a flap valve which prevents reverse flow through the filter and is constructed from the same material as the valve I4.

The operation of the structure just described is as follows: The clothes or other articles to be cleaned, are first placed within the clothes container 1. Cleaning fluid, such as soapy water or a dry cleaning fluid, is then placed within the tub I to a level substantially as shown in Fig. 1. The cover 3 is then set in place by forcing the spring clips 5 down over the ridge 6 on the tub and the motor I8 is started. When the motor starts, the shaft 25 attached to the clothes container 1 is reciprocated vertically through a travel of about a half inch at a rate of 250 times per minute and the clothes container is accordingly moved up and down or reciprocated relative to the tub I. Upon the downward movement of the clothes container 1 toward the tub I, the flexible cup I! is forced against the tub, thus preventing cleaning fluid from being forced from the bottom compartment through the side compartment and the side openings I and 12 into the container during this movement. At the same time, cleaning fluid is forced from the bottom of the tub upwardly into the container through the central openings i3 in the bottom wall. The free ends l6a of the valves I4, which are forced upwardly by the incoming cleaning fluid, direct the cleaning fluid entering through the openings l3 tangentially upward in a clockwise direction, as shown by the arrows 39 in Figs. 3 and 4. As all the valves H are forced upwardly by the same cleaning fluid pressure, the several streams have similar upwardly directed motions in a vertical plane, as shown in Fig. and are spaced circumferentially from one another by the angular distance between the openings l3 as shown in Fig. 4. Be-

cause of this spacing, the incoming streams do not interfere with one another but each stream tends to flow upwardly in a helical path till it nears the upper surface of the liquid and then outwardly toward the side of the container. Since the several streams entering the container 1 are spaced from one another and have similar motions in both a vertical and horizontal plane, it is apparent that these streams not only fail to interfere with one another but actually cooperate with and reinforce one another in their action. Likewise, upon the downward movement of the container, the spring pressed valve 3| is forced downwardly, thus admitting cleaning fluid into the pipe 30 and compressing the air in the air dome 34.

Upon the upward movement of the clothes container 1 within the tub I, the flap valves l4 close the openings 13, thus preventing cleaning fluid from escaping through these openings into the bottom compartment during this movement of the container. The flexible cup I! is now separated from the walls of the tub, thus allowing cleaning fluid to flow from the container through the side openings I 0 and 12 into the bottom compartment. The flow of cleaning fluid through the side openings causes the fluid flow in the container at the outer edges to be directed downwardly. Since the clothes prevent rapid flow through the outer openings, the level of liquid in the container may rise above the level of liquid in the tub. At the same time the pressure on the valve 36 is partially relieved with the result that the filtered cleaning fluid in the pipe 35 is forced through the valve 36 and into the bottom compartment of the tub by the action of the air compressed in dome 34.

The reciprocation of the clothes container within the tub causes jets of cleaning fluid to be directed tangentially upward into the fluid at the center of the container as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and causes a downward return flow through the lower sides of the container. The valves l4 and l I prevent reverse flow and, since there is no reversal of the flow, a circulation of clothes from the sides of the container toward the center is induced as shown by the arrows 40 in Fig. 3. This causes the clothes to be held in suspension and kept in circulation so that all parts of the clothes are subjected to the eroding action of the jets of liquid above the openings l3. Due to the rapid reciprocating movement of the container which is in the nature of a fluttering, the power input to the machines is reatly decreased.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and ,77, there is shown an alternative arrangement for filtering the cleaning fluid which is operable at will, rather than continuously, as in the arrangement of Figs. 1 and 2. For this purpose, we provide a filter II, to which cleaning fluid is conducted from the bottom compartment of the tub by a pipe 42. A flexible hose 43, constructed from a material suitably resistant to the action of any cleaning fluid that may be used in the machine, is connected to the outlet side of the filter and extends through an opening 44 in the cover into the open top of the container 1. A plate 45 having an openingv 46 for each of the openings l3 in the bottom wall of the container is rotatably mounted on the outside of the bottom wall of the container. This plate has a sleeve 41 fitting over the shaft 25 which reciprocates the container. A handle 48 is connected to this sleeve so that .by turning the handle, the openings 46 of the plate can berotated relative to the openings 13 in the bottom wall of the container. When it is desired to filter the cleaning fluid used in the machine, the handle 48 is moved so'that openings I 3 in the bottom wall of'the container are closed by the plate 45. when the container is then reciprocated within the tub,- the flexible cup II will be forced against the sides of the tub during downward movement and the cleaning fluid will be forced through the filter 4| and conducted by the hose 4! back into the top of the container. During upward movement 'of the container, there will be substantially no reverse flow through the filter. This filter arrangement also may be used as a pump to empty the cleaning fluid from the tub when the cleaning operation is completed. 1

What we claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is;

l. A washing machine, comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes .and the like disposed within the tub, said container having a central opening in the bottom and circumferentially spaced outer drain openings below the top of the container, means for forcing intermittent jets of cleaning fluid upward into the container through said central opening and 2. A washing machine comprising a container for clothes and the like having 'a plurality of centrally grouped openings in the .bottomand circumferentially spaced outer drain openings below the top of the container, means for forcing intermittent jets of fluid upward into said container through said central openings and for permitting return flow through said outer openings, and means for preventing reverse flow .through said openings.

3. A washing machine comprising a container for clothes and the like having a plurality of centrally grouped openings in the bottom and cirouinferentially spaced outer drain openings below the top of the container, means for forcing intermittent jets of water tangentially upward through said central opening and for' permitting return flow through said outer openings, and means for preventing reverse flow through said openings.

4. A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within the tub, said con-' tainer having a central opening in the bottom and circumferentially spaced outer drain openings below the top of the container, means effecting relative reciprocating movement in the vertical direction between the tub and the container for forcing cleaning fluid upward into the container through said central opening and for permitting return flow through said outer. openings, the amplitude of the reciprocation being such that the container is not lifted from the fluid, and means for preventing reverse flow through said openings.

5 A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within the tub, said container having a central opening in the bottom and circumferentially spaced outer drain openings below the top of the container, means effecting relative reciprocating movement in the vertical direction between the tub and the container for forcing the cleaning fluid upward into the container through said central opening and for permitting return flow through said outer opening,

. the'amplitude of the reciprocation being such that the container is not lifted from the fluid, means for tangentially directing the upward flow, and means for preventing reverse, flow through said openings.

6. A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within the tub, said container having a plurality of centrally grouped openings in the bottom and circumferentially spaced outer drain openings below the top of the container, means eflecting relative, reciprocating movement in the vertical direction between the tub and the container for forcingfthe cleaning fluid upward into the container through said central openings and for permitting return flow through said outer openings, the amplitude of the reciprocation being such that the container is not lifted from the fluid, means for tangentially directing the upward flow, and means for prevent ing reverse flow through said openings.

7. A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid. a container for clothes and the like disposed within the tub, said container having a central opening in the bottom and circumferentially spaced openings in the side walls, a valve associated with the bottom opening for permitting only upward flow through the bottom opening, a valve between the side walls and the tub for permitting only downward flow through the outer openings, and means eflecting relative reciprocating movement in the-vertical direction between the tub and the container for forcing the cleaning fluid intoand out of the container, the amplitude of the reciprocation being such that the container is not lifted from 'the fluid.

8. A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within the tub, said container having a central opening in the bottom and circumferentially spaced outer drain openings below the top of the container, a valve associated with the bottom opening for permitting only tangential upward flow through the bottom opening, a valve for permitting only downward flow through the outer openings, and means vertically reciprocating the container within the tub for forcing the cleaning fluid into and out of the container through said openings, the amplitude of the reciprocation being such that the container is not lifted from the fluid.

9. A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within and spaced from the tub, said container having a, central opening in the bottom and circumferentially spaced openings in the side walls, means effecting relative reciprocating movement in the vertical direction between the tub and the container for forcing cleaning fluid into and out of the container through said openings, the amplitude of the reciprocation being such that the container is not lifted from the fluid, a flexible cup between the container and tub for preventing flow through the side openings during downward movement of said container, a valve associated with the bottom opening for permitting only upward flow through the bottom opening during downward movement of said container.

10. A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within the tub, said container having a plurality of centrally grouped openings in the bottom and circumferentially spaced outer drain openings below the top of the container, valves associated with the bottom openings for permitting only tangential upward flow through the bottom opening, a valve for permitting only downward flow through the outer openings, and means vertically reciprocating the container within the tub for forcing the cleaning fluid into and out of the container through said openings, the amplitude of the reciprocation being such that the container is not lifted from the fluid.

11. A washing machine comprising a 'tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within the tub, a filter in fluid communication with said tub, and means reciprocating the container vertically with -respect to the tub for forcing cleaning fluid through said filter. 4

12. A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fluid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within the tub, a filter having an intake connected to the bottom of said tub and an outlet returning to said tub, and

container within the tub for forcing the cleaning fluid into and outof the container through said openings and for forcing the cleaning fluid through said filter,

14. A washing machine comprising a tub for receiving a cleaning fiuid, a container for clothes and the like disposed within and spaced from the tub, said container having a central opening in the bottom and circumferentialiy spaced openings in the side walls, a valve associated with the bottom opening for permitting only upward flow through the bottom opening during downward movement of said container, a flexible cup between the container and the tub for preventing flow through the side openings during downward movement of said container, a filter connected to the bottom of the tub, and means relatively reciprocating the container vertically with respect to the tub for forcing cleaning fluid into and out of the container through said openings and for forcing cleaning fluid through said filter.

15. In a washing machine of the type having a tub, a container within the tub, and means efiecting relative reciprocating movement between the tub and the container for causing washing of the material in the container, means for pumping the fluid out of the tub including a conduit leading from the bottom of the tub, and means for preventing fluid flow from between the container and the bottom of the tub as the container and tub approach each other forcausing the fiuid between the container and the bottom of the tub to be pumped through said conduit.

ANSON A. EMMERLING. NATHAN E. BERTOLET. 

